In the latest episode of The Rise of Charm City, one of our favorite new podcasts, host Stacia L. Brown does a deep dive into Mondawmin’s history and its place in the social lives of Baltimoreans. Did you know that Mondawmin is the oldest enclosed mall in the country? And that it was also one of the first malls to predominantly serve a black, inner city community? As such, Mondawmin has served as a focal point and a proving ground for a lot of people’s ideas about how development and cities function.

But Mondawmin has also served as a gathering place, an integrated social space in a largely segregated city, and a home for black business and franchise owners. On a day when there’s likely to be a lot of talk about the mall, this episode provides some much needed perspective. Listen here.